Coming off the hot, and controversy-filled AEW All Out 2022 PPV, AEW delivered their second-ever edition of AEW Grand Slam. Emanating from Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, the event sold over 12,000 tickets, and following up on the success and acclaim of the first event in 2021, all eyes were on this special edition of Dynamite.
Despite big suspensions coming out of All Out towards CM Punk, The Young Bucks, and Kenny Omega, AEW would manage to build an extremely strong card with five championship matches, including a major match for the vacant AEW World Championship between Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson. With a loaded, championship-heavy card, the question remains as to what was the match of the night for AEW Grand Slam 2.
5 PAC vs Orange Cassidy (All-Atlantic Championship)
Becoming the first-ever double champion in AEW, PAC would walk into 2022's AEW Grand Slam with both the All-Atlantic and Trios Titles for another chapter in his long-term rivalry with Orange Cassidy. Stemming from Cassidy's debut match in the company at AEW Revolution 2020, this was yet another match between longtime rivals, but with the All-Atlantic Belt now on the line.
Despite coming on after two extremely hot matches, with the ROH and AEW Tag Title Matches happening before this, PAC and Orange Cassidy would work hard to deliver a high quality title defense, with an engaged crowd and even getting a "This is Awesome" chant. It would appear that Cassidy had PAC on the ropes, though an anti-climatic finish with The Bastard using the ring bell hammer to knock out OC would kind of kill the heat of this. Still, the ring work from both guys was top-notch stuff, though their first match at Revolution remains their peak.
4 Toni Storm vs Serena Deeb vs Britt Baker vs Athena (AEW Interim Women's World Championship)
Coming off of her victory at All Out, Toni Storm would face off against Penelope Ford in a Championship Eliminator Match on Dynamite, that she would win, before losing to Britt Baker and Serena Deeb in tag-action the following week. Following the heels' victory last week, a 4-way would be made with Toni Storm defending her AEW Interim Women's World Championship against Britt Baker, Serena Deeb, and Athena.
A high-octane women's match, all four would go to war with one another, with Athena and Serena Deeb feeling like the MVPs of the match. Somewhat shockingly, Toni Storm would pin Britt Baker clean as a whistle to retain her championship. Following the match, Baker would lay out the champion before Jamie Hayter would arrive, teasing a turn on D.M.D. before the two would unite alongside Deeb to beat down the babyfaces. In arguably one of the biggest women's moments for AEW, Saraya (formerly Paige in WWE), would make her debut at Arthur Ashe, coming to the aid of Toni Storm and Athena for a spectacular moment that signals the wrestling return for a fan-favorite whose career appeared to be cut far too short.
3 Claudio Castagnoli vs Chris Jericho (ROH World Championship)
Surprisingly slotted into the opening bout of the show, Chris Jericho would find himself trying to challenge for one of the wrestling world championships that has alluded him; the Ring Of Honor World Championship. With Claudio Castagnoli now cemented as the 36th ROH World Champion, this would be a very high profile match for the entire ROH branding to kick off AEW's Stadium show. Featuring an insanely hot crowd to kick things off, this match benefited from a number of things, including the strong star-power of both wrestlers, a lively New York crowd, and it being a first-time match in AEW.
With Jericho thriving nearly anytime he is put into an opening match or main event slot in All Elite Wrestling, and being put up against an opponent the caliber of Claudio, there was no way this match was going to be anywhere close to bad. In a shocking move, Chris Jericho would defeat Castagnoli via a low-blow, Judas Effect combination to win the ROH World Championship, earning his eighth world championship. The two had an awesome match, and with many complaining about AEW's recent predictability, Jericho winning felt out of left field while also signaling possible good news for the Ring of Honor brand, as Jericho holding the title feels eerily similar to when the company put the AEW World Championship on him to launch their TV in 2019.
2 Swerve In Our Glory vs The Acclaimed (AEW World Tag Team Championship)
Coming out of 2022's All Out PPV, a match that left the wrestling world buzzing was the AEW World Tag Team Championship Match between Swerve in Our Glory and The Acclaimed. With the champs retaining at AEW's annual September PPV, a rematch was set almost right away between the two for Grand Slam. Maintaining the hot crowd from the opening bout between Jericho and Castagnoli, these two teams would collide with Swerve, at least, now firmly cemented as a heel in the crowd's eyes.
While the match may not have lived up to the in-ring work of their battle at All Out, the result would be different this time around as The Acclaimed would finally reach the top of the mountain, becoming AEW World Tag Team Champions. Giving Max Caster and Anthony Bowens the spotlight at Arthur Ashe to cement them as the new top team in AEW felt like a very good call. This was still a fantastic match, just one that was hurt by commercial breaks and a few botched spots, though nothing could kill the moment of Caster and Bowens' coronation.
1 Bryan Danielson vs Jon Moxley (AEW World Championship)
Following the controversial media scrum after AEW All Out, CM Punk would be stripped of the AEW World Championship, with the first-ever AEW Tournament of Champions being set to crown a new champion. With the finals culminating at Arthur Ashe, it would come down to the two leading men of the Blackpool Combat Club; Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley. Following up on their violent match at this year's Revolution PPV in March 2022, these two have since gone from enemies to allies in the subsequent months, leading one of the best factions in all of wrestling together.
With an electric crowd for the main event, Danielson and Moxley would put on a match totally different from their first, with Bryan selling a leg injury from his match with Jericho and Moxley even busting out Seth Rollins' Curb Stomp for a huge pop. These two would feel like pure equals in the main event of Dynamite Grand Slam, with MJF watching on from above, as they would deliver a fantastic AEW World Championship Match. With a thrilling finale seeing Danielson escaping from two Death Riders before falling to the Bulldog Choke, Jon Moxley would come out on top to become the first-ever three-time AEW World Champion.